Thursday, January 17, 2019
January 22...
Vick and Furlong's piece in the Chronicle takes up a number of topics that we discussed at varying levels of depth last semester in 702 (and that you have certainly bumped into throughout your doc work. Pick an issue or two that you would like to get into and share it with the group. Why is whatever you picked of interest? What do you think about and what questions do you have about it?
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This article almost perfectly sums up the feelings and struggles I have encountered this year, as well as the great pieces of advice I have received from faculty and older students.
ReplyDeleteAs with hearing the suggestions in-person, reading all of the suggestions on this article is a bit intimidating. Julie and Jenny list A LOT of things you should be doing to take full advantage of your PhD program and put yourself in the prime position to get a job when you graduate. I'm hoping to take it on as a challenge, and as a marathon, not a sprint (which I tend to try and do everything all at once).
On a somewhat similar note to Jenny's discussion about academic advisers, I am curious about selecting an area of focus in my research and working out if that does not align with the faculty's expertise/interest. Of course, the faculty is knowledgeable and can help with dissertations in general, but last semester we discussed the shift from the model of PhD studies where students were recruited/selected based on similar research interests and how that is not as typical now. Is it common to adopt a research focus that is more aligned with the faculty at your school and just dabble in another area you are interested in and then come back to it once you are faculty? What are the pros and cons of going your own way?
- Dana Brookover
I was relieved to find that this article mentions how interests and ideas can shift during the course of a program. My career interests shifted gears towards the end of last semester, and it made the doc program that much harder to navigate. The leeway to lean away from old ideas and towards new ones was nice to hear from graduate career counselors. I definitely did, and likely will continue to, seek out advice and help from services on campus (Career Services) and professors both in and outside of my program to help me figure out next steps.
ReplyDeleteI definitely underestimated the importance of networking. Even as a counselor, I am still an introvert, and jumping in and joining, or even starting, conversations (outside of counseling relationships) is not exactly my forte. While networking is something I want to do more of and become better at, I would like to take this concept a step further and begin building a sense of community. Though I understand the importance of networking, right now I am much more interested in a network of supports. It has been a lot harder to “find my tribe” than I expected, and I had not realized the impact that would have on my satisfaction in and out of the program. Personally, I think the more support you have to see this through, the better. Professionally, it is nice to have varying vignettes from varying professionals, especially for someone a little bit in limbo. A goal of mine this semester is to get a bit more active and acclimated with students (and even professors) across schools and programs. A sense of belonging is so important
I honestly kind of wish I had read this article last semester. At times, it felt the importance of research was presented as an overarching goal of doctoral work, while this article tries to give a more well-rounded glimpse of what to consider, expect, and attempt as a doctoral student.
I also noticed some interesting comments under the article, and am wondering what others think. Readers argued over: whether or not students should be published/expected to publish their first year in a program, to strive for sole authorship (commenter Raymond_j_ritchie), dissertations do not have to be world-changing (commenter annon1234), and considering seeing a therapist (commenter RTWJeff). Thoughts?
-Erin Hanley
I appreciated this article and its clear message about being … well … agentive. Here’s short a list of imperatives from Vick and Furlong: find out, attend, be involved, connect, choose, network, make use of. I confess that a few of these are a little out of character for me. (I can be maddeningly slow to act. I make Hamlet seem like a can-do guy.) But awkward or not, I need to be more proactive in this program.
ReplyDeleteAn issue I’d like to explore is about my research interests and the degree to which they conform – or don’t conform – to program expectations. At the very least, my writing style and theoretical framework may seem a little out of place. (Or do we all think that? It’s not the impostor syndrome at work. It’s more like a Misfit Elf syndrome, I suppose.) I’ve had a great experience here so far, yet I still worry about issues of “fit.” I even bury my wildest, but sometimes most interesting, ideas in footnotes. Maybe this is because of what I’ve learned from others. While they aren’t exactly older, more advanced graduate students in math education here have expressed some frustration about having to conform to expectations in a way that adversely affects their goals. Another thing to be proactive about!- Cat
The two issues I would like to get into from the Vick and Furlong piece pertain to isolation and professional development. On the topic of isolation, their statement “Graduate school can be an isolating experience…take time to connect-intellectually and socially…with others…” really resonated with me. Like most people, I have found the academic requirements can consume most of my time. Additionally, my 1.5 hour commute to/from campus significantly limits my opportunities to engage in campus activities on the days I don’t have classes. Because of these two reasons, I have come to rely heavily on the Cabell Library. It has become my home-away-from-home on school days. I have found the library to be a convenient place to study in the presence of other students, which instills in me a sense of “belonging.” Because of my limited time on campus, and distance from it, I think I must accept the fact that I will probably always feel a bit isolated from the University and my PhD program.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of professional development is my next topic, and once again I find myself relying on the Cabell Library. I have attended several workshops (https://www.library.vcu.edu/services/classes-workshops/) on a wide range of topics pertaining to graduate students. Equally important, I have found the library’s “Advance Your Research” online workshops (https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/events/2018-19/advance-your-research-webinars.html) very informative – with the extra benefit that I don’t have to travel to Richmond in order to participate. However, if I could improve upon my professional development experiences – I would hope to find other PhD students within the SOE that attend the workshops and are interested in having “follow-up” conversations about what we learned.
These are valuable tips to succeed in the first year of our Ph.D. life. In fact, I have been hearing these tips from lots of parties, since the graduate orientation, from different professors, senior students and our 702 class.
ReplyDeleteWhat frustrated me the most is that my research interests are still under development. Julie in the article stated, “It is vital that you pay attention to what interests you, rather than looking to your adviser for guidance on that. Keep track of potential areas of research interest. Eventually, you will need to select a dissertation topic, and you will want it to be something that excites you.” I totally understand that it takes time to establish a research interest to devote yourself to. However, the longer “I have no research interest”, the more anxious I became. People who have developed a research interest, whether broad or specific, have started to build their work into it. In classes, they can apply what we learned (surveys, lit rew…) to their work. And the feeling of “late” and “behind” always occur to me.
So my question is, is it urgent to develop a research interest? -Yingying
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Delete"To get off to a good start it's crucial to be involved in the life of your department and attend the activities, seminars, and meetings that it organizes for your students. Faculty members will expect that of you and will see your participation as a sign of your level of engagement in the field."
ReplyDeleteThis statement was somewhat heart-wrenching for me, because as we all know, we get hundreds of emails a week about activities, seminars, and meetings that we *should* be attending. The reality, though, is that I cannot be fully engaged in these kinds of extracurriculars, as much as I would love to. It is enough of a sacrifice for my family for me to come to campus two afternoons a week and spend evenings and weekends reading and researching. As a full-time teacher and full-time mom, I can't even imagine trying to attend all the activities, seminars, and meetings offered by the School of Education, even though I would absolutely love to.
To think that faculty are judging my level of engagement (and really quite rightfully so) based on my attendance at these events was frustrating. Really, after reading the article I was struck by how much we *should* be doing, but the fact of the matter is that each of us has to find a way that we can reasonably balance our academic, professional, and personal lives, and the first years of graduate school are the very time we should be figuring that out. There will always be more opportunities for engagement, but choosing to engage in a way that is authentic to our interests, personalities, and priorities should be our main goal, and figuring that out now will serve us well throughout the PhD and beyond.
What happens outside of the classroom is most important in a graduate program. -SOE Faculty
ReplyDeleteFind your people. -SOE Faculty
Jenny and Julie offer some credible, well-intentioned advice that echoes much of what I’ve been hearing the past few months as well. Still… I am having a hard time with this paper. Along with Andrea's post, it reminds me of the “tyranny of shoulds”, along with our discussion last week that it is never enough, we are never enough. We should always do more, be more. And yet, this article reminds me that we endure a lot of stress and hardship, sacrifice a lot, in order to pursue our dream, so why not take full advantage? I guess the answer is probably somewhere in the middle, the gray, the balancing act of trying to have it all.
I attended a panel talk about securing a job in academia the beginning of this semester. Let me tell you- it was a mistake! In this case, knowledge was not power but anxiety and confusion. I am trying to hide what I learned away in my brain until I actually need to know it, maybe next year.
I would argue that the author’s advice to follow your own research interests for a dissertation (and relegate your advisor’s guidance to the back seat) is a bit naïve and idealistic. Their perspective on funding opportunities, research design and feasibility, etc. is invaluable. On the other hand, I have heard the opposite: that your dissertation is not even yours! I have heard it sets a trajectory for the rest of your career AND that it is just another research project. Which one is it? Does it even matter what it is or isn’t?
-Rachel Regal
First of all, thank you for sharing this article. Through this article, I could see the reflections of my difficulties and challenges that I am facing during my first year of the doctoral program. Besides, Vick and Furlong have provided several pieces of advice for us to undertake. In this regard, it is an informative article.
ReplyDeleteThough running has never been my forte, I believe to understand one of Jenny’s statements in the article “A doctoral program, as the old saying goes, is more like a marathon than a sprint”.
It means that we, the students in a doctoral program are supposed to build our stamina and mental/ physical endurance in order to sustain ourselves for a longer duration throughout the program. Having realised this, all other recommendations made by the authors make sense fully. There is no doubt that they are the ways and means to build our stamina and endurance.
Particularly, I also appreciate Julie’s advice on how important it is for doctoral students to develop a support system early in the program. I am fortunate to have my GA office at Cabell library. Hence, I could find some resourceful connections and could also attend many informative events in the library. But, I did not realize that I need develop my support system beyond my school and library. During the later weeks my first semester, I started realizing this need. In fact, it was at the end of the semester when I started approaching the writing center, the career center in the university. Certainly, I got a great support and help from people at these centers which I could have not get otherwise. This was a big lesson for me.
Also, I would second Erin in highlighting the need for more and better networking skills in action. And that is my goal for this semester.
- Preeti Kamat
Hello from a cafe in Edinburgh (it's 10AM here but 5AM back home, the jetlag is real!)
ReplyDeleteReading Vick & Furlong, two topics "stuck out" as personally poignant. The first being a comment from Jenny, "Developing a range of skills will make you a stronger doctoral student. You will, of course, be better at some of those skills than at others. Take the time to build a level of comfort with the things that don't come naturally to you, whether that means teaching, presenting, writing, or networking." The second being, also from Jenny, "During your graduate training, be sure that you are keeping up your connections (and developing new ones) with people working outside of academe. That will be good for your general mental health and sense of perspective. And it will pay off if, upon earning your Ph.D., you pursue a nonacademic career."
I chose those two topics to talk about after a semester's worth of Ph.D. work. Speaking on the second topic first, I have found that in both my practitioner career and my doctoral studies, that having a base of friends and support from outside of professional life is very, very necessary. That being said, this is much easier said than done. Many of us get wrapped into the day-to-day and ingrained into the professional world we live in due to the shear amount of hours we spend each week devoted to our craft (or study). In a previous career, I found that this was somewhat out of "creature comfort." It was easier to inundate oneself with the career (which was the norm) than to be the outlier. I am seeing that even part-time doctoral studies can be overwhelming in time and spirit, so I imagine that this the same kind of mindset that requires keeping a well-grounded foundation to keep you sane! The first topic that I chose from Jenny spoke on skill-building and working to improve even outside of your comfort-zone. In life, I have learned a great deal from pushing into unknown and even uncomfortable realms in order to build a repertoire of skills that have helped me grow both as a person and a professional. It is a full belief of mine that great ideas come from pushing outside of the norm and into the difficult. Hard decisions and big decisions usually aren't made easily or out of the simplistic. I can see where this trait can be beneficial in doctoral studies, research, publishing etc. Especially in this climate, invention breeds necessity and necessity breeds invention.
~My two cents. Brad.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article from Vick and Furlong, I found myself reflecting about the conversation between Julie and Jenny. As a part time student at VCU, I often ponder whether or not I am engaged enough in my doctoral program. I find it hard for me to make “shifts in my priorities”, when I feel like all my roles are equally important. A shift in my attitude is what I need most. Now, in my third semester at VCU, I am still trying to figure out the work, life, and school balance. I find this daunting and overwhelming. In talking to my colleagues at Longwood, they assure this is a normal feeling and a rite of passage for being a doctoral student, full time employee, mother, and wife. The rigor of the course work is exciting and engaging but ultimately stressful. It is ironic that I spend my days encouraging, prodding, leading, and helping students with disabilities take a leap of faith to try new things, when I don’t tell myself these same things. This article struck a nerve and hit a few sore spots for me to consider, as I evolve into a doctoral student. I understand the need for engagement, attending events, being involved and creating connections but please tell me how doing all of those things are possible.
ReplyDeleteI was able to see the positives in what they were discussing in light of strengthening yourself as a doctoral student. Through engagement and interaction people begin to feel a sense of belonging. This is very important in our development. So taking a step back and listening to what Vick and Furlong were saying made realize that I should take more initiative to get to know my advisor, the professors in my program, and talking to my peers about their interests. Sitting back and waiting for others to bring things to me is not going to benefit my growth. Taking time to allow myself to understand and feel my way through this process is necessary. This read might have been what I needed.
It sounds like it is not just one person problem but may be the way that some others feel as well. I am interested in seeing how you as my other classmates feel? Are you a part time student? Do you feel disconnected? How do you juggle all that is important?
Dana Kieran